Interview with the Winner of my Daytime Denim Contest on Polyvore!

Meet the winner of my "Daytime Denim" contest on Polyvore! Her handle is

dinar-widya-pratama (visit her page at  http://dinar-widya-pratama.polyvore.com/ ) We interviewed her to get to know her a little bit. Here is What she had to say:

Gigi: Hey! Thanks for doing this interview. Let’s start out with an easy question. Where are you from?

Dinar: I’m Indonesian and I’m living in Indonesia.

Gigi: How long have you been on Polyvore?

Dinar: Almost 2 months.

Gigi: Very cool. What do you like to do? What are some of your hobbies?

Dinar: I like to go shopping, eating noodles, fashion designing, and travelling.

Gigi: Every girl on Polyvore has a major shopping addiction! What are your favorite brands?

Dinar: I like wearing Levi’s for my daily activities.

Gigi: That’s great. So you’re a casual girl. Who would you say is your style icon?

Dinar: My style icons would have to be Taylor Swift because of her ability to look causal in everyday life. Wearing a cute dresses is something I strive for, too.

Gigi: Let’s talk about your winning set a bit. What was the title of it and your inspiration for creating it?

Dinar: The title of my set was “Voyage Denim Levi’s” and my inspiration was that I like to wear jeans or denim. Especially from Levi’s because it’s suitable for travelling.

Gigi: I noticed that you have created quite a few sets since joining Polyvore. Is this your first time winning 1^st place in a contest?

Dinar: No, I’ve won 1^st place 7 times now.

 

Gigi: Wow! 7 times is incredible for having only been on Polyvore for two months. Congratulations! Okay. Last question. What do you like best about Polyvore?

Dinar: I love Polyvore because I love fashion design. It’s my favorite activity.

Gigi: Thanks again, dinar-widya-pratama . And thanks to all the members who participating in the Daytime Denim contest in my group, "Bring the Drama!". Join us at: http://www.polyvore.com/bring_drama/group.show?id=169326 .

Until next time, GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL! 

Gigi xo

 

voyage denim levi's by dinar-widya-pratama featuring a blue bracelet

Mama Drama

Hey!
     Rest assured that this is not a post complaining about "baby mama drama" (collective sigh of relief!) So, I have a 5 year old daughter who is my little cutie. And as much as I love her and wanted a baby, I find motherhood to be very challenging. Let me give you a little background.

     My boyfriend and I knew we'd want to start a family sometime in the future. I had some medical challenges, so my doctor recommended  I take fertility medication to help get my body functioning in a healthy rhythm. So that when we were ready to try for a baby my body would be ready to go. Unfortunately, what ended up happening was an ectopic pregnancy and a number of miscarriages. I was devastated. The losses were a large part of what caused my future collapse.

     At this point, we both decided that enough was enough and I stopped taking the medication. This was huge blow because without the fertility meds I was told my chances of getting pregnant were slim at best. Fast forward to 4 weeks later when I'm sick as a dog and unable to get out of bed. I was pregnant! Yay! or no? Well, my relationship, which had always been rocky, was further damaged by the miscarriages and my unrelenting grief. My boyfriend seemed to be able to just move on. I, however, was stuck in a deep hole of mourning. And in those 4 weeks I had packed up my belongings and was intent on moving out of our apartment.

    Well, as you probably guessed, I didn't move out. Not only did the new pregnancy inject a bit of lovey dovey excitement back into our relationship, I became abnormally sick with this pregnancy and ended up being diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Hyperemesis is a condition that affects less than 1 percent of pregnant women (so of course I had it, right?)  and is characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and electrolyte disturbances (you can learn more about this illness at americanpregnancy.org).

     Now some of you women out there who are pregnant or have ever been pregnant are saying "everybody gets morning sickness. You just deal with it". But this, my hard-hearted sisters, is not normal morning sickness by any stretch of the imagination. I was so ill that I couldn't eat or drink ANYTHING. In a moment of TMI, I'll share that I couldn't even swallow my own saliva...Yeah.

Long story short, I was put on a feeding tube; contracted a blood infection (sepsis); was advised to abort the pregnancy before the infection killed us both; Refused their retarded suggestion; and went on to have the sickest most horrible 7 months of my life. Imagine throwing up ever 2 hours every day for 7 months! I lost 25 pounds and still had the raging infection in my blood.

But, alas, my dear sweet baby was born. She was 5 pounds 6 ounces, which is huge for a baby almost 2 months premature. I was blessed!

Awwwww :-)

Now fast-forward 5 years later. I've gone through a mental breakdown, suicide attempt, divorced, and trying desperately to GET IT TOGETHER (aha! That's the name of my blog :-)

So, after all that hell you'd THINK she'd be a little angel straight from above, right? Well, she's my miracle baby and my angel but her personality is one of the most difficult I've ever encountered. She's incredibly head-strong and has her own way she wants to do things. I will admit that I have spoiled her, having lavished her with about everything her little heart could want :-( And it's not that she's a bad kid or has a bad attitude. I'm just weary now. Weary from all the fighting in my marriage. Weary from picking up the pieces after my breakdown. Weary from the heavy burdens that life continues to pile on my back. And being a mother is not a constant state of bliss. There's bed-wetting, tantrums, laundry, homework, and cooking. There's missing her daddy and not fitting in with friends. And you try telling a 5 year old that she actually doesn't know everything...lol.

Ahhhhhhhh!

She's the reason I get up in the morning. She's the reason I keep trying. She's why I decided to get off my pity pot and GET IT TOGETHER. Can your reason for living still drive you absolutely insane at the same time?

Gigi xo

Pink, Black & Glitter!

Hey!
I know I've been posting a lot of nail stuff. And I will be discussing other topics here besides nails and Polyvore. But, I began this nail binge with the intention of "getting myself together" by keeping my nails in tip top shape. What it's turned into is a nail obsession. I really enjoy thinking of new and beautiful designs. Plus, with the help of Pinterest, I gain "pinspiration" from other nail gurus and create some very cool stuff. I love it! (visit me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/giginicolexo/boards/)

So let's talk about my latest design.

STEP 1: Paint your thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers with 2 coats of pink nail polish. *I used "Beautiful Girl" by Sinful Colors Professional".

"Beautiful Girl" by Sinful Colors Professional
"Pink Bling" by NYC
"Snow Me White" by Sinful Colors Professional
"Black on Black" by Sinful Colors Professional

STEP 2: Paint your index and ring fingers with 2 coats of black nail polish. *I used "Black on Black" by Sinful Colors Professional".

STEP 3: Allow your nails to dry. Then, using the black nail polish and your dotting tool, apply black dots in a random pattern to your thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers. *Note: begin in the middle of the nail and fan out. This will help keep the spacing between your dots even.

STEP 4: Now, pink glitter nail polish to your ring finger. *I used number 154 "Pink Bling" by NYC. *Note: You may have to add more than one coat of glitter polish to get the right amount of opaqueness.

STEP 5: On your index finger, paint three branch-like lines using white nail polish.

STEP 6: Using your dotting tool, create 5 dots in a tight circle (this creates the illusion of a flower.) Repeat this two more times to create a total of 3 flowers.

STEP 7: After allowing time for the designs to dry, finish with a top coat over all of the nails.
and......
VOILA!

Pink, Black & Glitter!

 

Until then, GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL!

 



Gigi xo

Black & Nude Nails

Hey!
I tried a new nail design and I LOVE IT! It's a very simple design, yet, it is powerful. I'd rate this Easy to Moderate in difficulty. Here's how to recreate this look:

STEP 1: Paint one coat of clear base coat.

STEP 2: Beginning with your thumb, paint every other nail with 2 coats with Black nail polish. *I used "Black on Black" by Sinful Colors Professional.

STEP 3: Paint the remaining nails with 2 coats of Nude nail polish. * I used "Easy Going" by Sinful Colors Professional.

"Black on Black" by Sinful Colors Professional
"Easy Going" by Sinful Colors Professional



STEP 4: Allow the nails to dry. Then, using your dotting tool, make medium sized dots on your index finger. *Begin by placing a dot in the center of your nail. This will help center your design.


Dotted index finger

STEP 5: Apply tape in thin strips horizontally on your ring finger. *Make sure the strips are pressed on your nail securely. This will prevent the black polish from bleeding. Paint 2 coats of black polish just like you would paint your nail regularly.

Taped ring finger

STEP 6: Peel off the tape immediately. Do not let the polish dry. Then, paint a top coat over all nails.
aaaaaaaaand...VOILA!

The finished product!

I hope this was helpful. I had a lot of fun designing this and breaking down the steps for you. Until next time, GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL!

Gigi xo

Pale Pink and Pearls

Hey,

So, I recently went on a mini shopping spree and stocked up on a lot of nail art supplies. As I've said before, keeping my nails in pristine condition is one of the ways I've chosen to GET IT TOGETHER.

So, I've ordered all of these supplies from Amazon and it's taking absolutely forever to arrive. They're coming all the way from Hong Cong to Virginia and they estimated I would receive them between September 26th and October 14th. Crazy, right?!

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I received some of the supplies this past week! Not much: a set of 3 nail brushes and nail diamonds and pearls.

Pearls and Diamonds for nails

I decided to try out a mixed design with pearls and one of my new favorite colors: "Easy Going" by Sinful Colors Professional.

"Easy Going" by Sinful Colors

I'll show you my new purchases and discuss their functions in a video next week!
Steps:

1. Paint clear base coat. 
2. Paint two coats of "Easy Going" by Sinful Colors Professional" *TIP: Make sure to let your nails dry between coats. This will cut down on your overall drying time.
3. Let the 2nd coat dry completely.
4. In small sections, apply the clear topcoat to the area you will be applying the pearls. *TIP: Make sure to work on one small section at a time so the glue or polish doesn't dry before you apply to pearls.
5. After the design is in place, pain over the entire nail with the clear topcoat.
6. Let dry.

And here's the finished product:

My finished product!

Overall, I'm pleased with my first foray into nail decals/art. I'm looking forward to coming up with more designs!

Until next time, GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL!

Gigi xo

To Sleep, To Dream - Entries

 

To Sleep, To Dream - Entries on polyvore.com

Hello All:

     I had the honor of moderating my first contest on Polyvore (www.polyvore.com) called "To Sleep, To Dream" in my new group, Bring the Drama! (http://www.polyvore.com/bring_drama/group.show?id=169326). It was really fun to see all of the creativity and happiness that creativity brings. I had the hard task of selecting 10 winners from 46 set submissions. It was SO hard! And I can't help but feel that I wish everyone could have placed. It was all in good fun though and I hope everyone had fun participating in our very first contest!

Below, are all of the winning sets. I am proud to have them on The GIT Girl blog. Much love to the winners and all participants!

Until then, Get It Together, Girl!

Gigi xo

Another Winning Set! 3rd place

 

Untitled 1 by giginicole featuring a high heel stilettos